It is a very complicated system in Ontario and we get a lot of questions and hear misconceptions, so we wanted to clarify the difference between various professionals/ professions that you may be referred to or hear about, who work at Bloor West therapy, and that your insurance may cover.
In Ontario, there are several mental health professionals including psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists, and social workers, who may all provide psychotherapy. What is the difference? How is one to choose?
Psychiatrists/ medication
Psychiatrists are medical doctors by training, covered by OHIP, they are able to prescribe medication and some of them provide psychotherapy or talk therapy but it is rare. You will need a referral from a family doctor to see a psychiatrist unless you are at an emergency room, hospital, or seeking assessment or psychotherapy at a specialized group practice that also has a psychiatrist on staff.
If you need medication, sometimes a family doctor is able to proscribe it for you, other times they will refer you to a psychiatrist for an assessment and medication management. It depends on the family doctor, their training and comfort level, as well as your condition.
We do not have psychiatrists on our team nor are we able to refer to them. If we believe that you could benefit from a psychiatric assessment for diagnosis or medication, we will suggest that you talk to you family doctor about it.
Psychologists/ Psychological Associates
Psychologists usually have a doctoral degree, either a PhD or a PsyD in psychology, there are some exceptions and some professionals who were previously licensed in other provinces have become psychologists with masters degrees. Psychologists are registered with the College of Psychologists and Behavioural Analysts of Ontario (CPBAO), they are able to diagnose and provide psychotherapy but not prescribe medication. Their rates tend to be higher due to more years of training and extensive registration requirements.
Psychological Associates have a masters degree, they have completed 5 years of supervised training post-masters, and are also registered with the CPBAO. Like psychologists, they are able to diagnose and provide psychotherapy but not prescribe medication.
Psychotherapists & Social Workers/ MSWs
Psychotherapists have a master’s degree and they provide psychotherapy.
Social workers/ MSWs can have various types of training and jobs in Ontario. Some do what you might think of social work, such as case management and helping navigate the systems. However, some are clinically trained and provide psychotherapy just like a psychotherapist. The social workers at Bloor West Therapy do not provide the case management type social work services but do provide psychotherapy. They are highly trained in various psychotherapy approaches to help you with mental health issues.
Psychotherapists and social workers/ MSWs are not able to provide a diagnosis.
The Ontario Psychological Association (OPA) also has a helpful table that compares the training requirement differences between the above professions and others who are able to provide psychotherapy: Ontario’s Mental Health Workforce Training requirements
All our different providers have various trainings in different approaches in addition to general training in psychotherapy. These approaches include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Psychodynamic, Schema therapy, and others.
We know that it can be quite confusing to navigate all of this. Please know that we are happy to answer any questions that you may have about how to navigate this system and how to choose the right professional for you.
I hope this helps,
Ragne Pajo
